I think many commenters are missing the most important bit of this article. The author says, "There is a historical context for this modern myth of perpetual g

I think many commenters are missing the most important bit of this article. The author says, "There is a historical context for this modern myth of perpetual growth. It emerged from the Industrial Revolution ... Many of us act as if we believe this will continue forever, even to the stars themselves." The implication is that such growth won't continue forever, and we won't reach the stars. It's a sentiment that I happen to agree with, but the author takes it as something of a given, and spends the article talking about how these games reinforce false assumptions, assumptions which many people don't even think about. That's the real point here.